Australia: Beef exports near record but herd at 20-year low
14/07/2015
Industry body Meat & Livestock Australia said exports for the first part of the year had surged, with shipments up 11% year-on-year, and on track to be 2% higher than last year’s record, at 1.32 million tonnes swt.
MLA manager Ben Thomas said: “Beef exports are well on their way to exceeding last year’s record and this would make it the fourth year in a row that beef export volumes have exceeded the previous year’s totals.
“The factors contributing to this are the A$/US$ exchange rate, strong global beef prices, high Australian beef production and unrelenting demand from Australia’s traditional three top export markets.”
Australia’s top four destinations - the US, Japan, Korea and China - will make up about 80% of Australia’s beef exports this year.
Mr Thomas said the number of cattle sold or live exported over the past two years had been so high that the national cattle herd was reducing to what's estimated to be about a 20-year low, falling three million head from 2014.
“This smaller pool of cattle will put the Australian beef industry in a very interesting situation over the next five years, especially at the processing end. With 23% less cattle available, there will be lower volumes for all customers."
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